The Cambodian

When the Trial Chamber at the Khmer Rouge tribunal released its strategy for upcoming Case 002/02 on April 4, 2014, it was a huge victory for victims of sexual- and gender-based violence under the regime. As part of its strategy, the Trial Chamber will hear a limited number of cases of rape as part of the charges against Khieu Samphan and Nuon Chea, rejecting the conclusion of the Office of the Co-Investigative Judges in its closing order that the accused cannot be held liable for these sexual crimes. The Cambodian Women’s Oral History Project was launched as an independent research project with the aim to correct the historical erasure of women’s experiences of sexualized violence under the regime. With a goal of the collection 20 life-story testimonies from survivors and witnesses throughout Cambodia, the project recently collected its 18th narrative and is now preparing files for a public access archive. The arc of the total narrative encompasses French colonial rule to the present day, from narrators that reach from all corners of Cambodia. The presentation will highlight early findings of the project, and their potential relevance to Case 002/002 in its inclusion of rape. The presentation will also touch on the shared-authority, social-change methodology of the project, and to the significance of life story accounts to gender and genocide globally.